Lernaean Hydra
The Hydra, also known as the Lernaean Hydra, was a Greek mythological serpent with nine heads. Each time a head was cut off, two new heads sprouted in its place. One of the Hydra's heads was immortal and breathed fire. This giant serpent other heads possessed poisonous breath in addition to poisonous blood. Its lair was the lake of Lerna in the Argolid. Beneath the lake was an entrance to the Underworld, which the Hydra guarded. The Hydra was the offspring of Typhon and Echidna. It was slain by Hercules and his nephew Iolaus. The Second Labour of Heracles Hercules was sent by king Eurystheus to kill the Hydra as part of his second labour. He took along his nephew Iolaus. When he reached Lerna, he covered his nose and mouth with a cloth to protect himself from the stench. He shot a flaming arrow into its cave where it hissed in anger, came out and started fighting him. However, he had trouble dealing with the Hydra when he realized that two heads regenerated whenever he sliced off one head. He told Iolaus to burn the stumps whenever he cut one of its heads off with a torch in order to prevent the heads regrowing. When Hera saw Hercules was winning, she sent down a huge crab called Korkinos to attack him by pinching his foot which he then crushed under his mighty foot. He received a golden sword from Athena, which he used to kill the immortal head. He then took the the immortal head and buried it next to the side of the road and placed a boulder onto the ground where the still writhing head of the Hydra was buried. He then went back to the body and dipped his arrows in its poisonous blood, which he used in his later quests. Both the crab and the Hydra were placed in the sky as the constellations Cancer and Hydra, respectively. Trivia The hydra is actually one of the labours of Heracles that didn't count since he had aid from his nephew Iolaus so King Eurystheus decreed that he do another hance making the 12 labours of Heracles. The hydra does not actually have a set number of heads since the hydra had too many heads for the vase painters to paint so they always gave it between 3 and 12 heads. Under normal conditions the hydra never has less than 3 heads. The hydra is usually depicted as having either two arms and no legs, two arms and two legs or no arms or legs at all when the hydra actually starts off with having no legs then it develops two arms then two legs. So all of these depictions are partially correct. Hydra in Jason and the Argonauts (3).jpg|Hydra in Jason and the Argonauts Hydra in Jason and the Argonauts (2).jpg Hydra in Jason and the Argonauts.jpg Hydra in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief.jpg|Hydra in Percy Jackson and the Lightning Thief Hydra in Jason and the Argonauts figurine.jpg Hercules Hydra.jpg|Hydra in Hercules download (2).jpg 640px-Hercules-disneyscreencaps.com-5498.jpg search.jpg|The Lernaean Hydra Videos Hydra Battle|Percy Vs. a Hydra in Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief Hydra (2009) - Official Trailer|Hydra (2009 film) trailer Category:Greek mythology Category:Greek monsters Category:Mythical creatures Category:Twelve Labours of Heracles Category:Monsters